


Doughnuts in New York

by daphnie_1



Category: Captain America (2011), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, M/M, New York City, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-08
Updated: 2011-12-08
Packaged: 2017-10-27 02:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/290717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daphnie_1/pseuds/daphnie_1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Steve Rogers honestly isn't trying to sell cookies to Tony Stark, or rescue kittens from trees, but he would like Tony to stop eating doughnuts and get off the restaurant fire escape and talk about the Avengers if it's all the same to him. As long as that's no trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doughnuts in New York

This isn't the New York he grew up in but he can still find his way around. Regardless of how long it's been the city is still the city and most of the landmarks are the same despite how much everything else might change.

Which is why it's not hard to find Iron Man, but Steve will admit that the fact everyone seems to have heard of him helps. Steve remembers the press report, the one he'd come across on his first day out of the ice. The one that had a picture of Tony and four words: I am Iron Man.

He only stops once, and that's not because he's lost, but  because he spots a plastic version of his shield in a toy shop window. It has a little sign proclaiming that, you too, could be Captain America and fight Hitler. He pauses to look at it for a few seconds, not sure what to make of it, and carries on walking.

He's seen one of the movies they'd made about him. The SHIELD psychiatrist who had cleared him for duty had said it was important. Her name was Sharon and she'd said that he needed to understand how people saw him in this era or he'd always be left out of the loop. At the time he'd questioned this but she'd just told him to go along with it and everything would make sense at the end.

They'd made movies about him during the war, but this new movie was so much clearer than he remembered a movie being. There hadn't been any scratches on the film or light spots. It wasn't better, or worse, just different.

After that everything is just noise, and explosions, and lights for two hours. It's all very beautiful, almost mesmerizing, but he loses the thread of the story more than once and at the end has the distinct impression he missed most of what happened.

When he'd gone back to her and told her this he'd added that the research on the film hadn't been any good. They had gotten his name wrong at a couple of points and, he'd confessed, he hadn't been exactly pleased about how they'd interpreted him. They had no interest in his life before he became Captain America and they seemed to think he was, well, stupid. There had been a new women on his arm every half hour and no reference to Bucky or the Howling Commandos, or even Howard. Sharon had just laughed and said that it wasn't really the point and, anyway, she always preferred the cartoon they showed on Saturday mornings.

When Steve reaches the doughnut place there are several people already gathered around outside the door glancing up in the hope of catching a glimpse of Iron Man.

Steve looks around and, about six or seven floors up, Tony Stark is leaning against the railing of the fire escape. Steve has barely clocked the  familiar yellow and red colors of the Iron Man suit before the phone goes off in his pocket. It takes him a couple of minutes to remember how to use it after Bruce had explained, patiently, for nearly an hour, and he's just savvy enough to dial back.

It rings for a bit and Tony answers. "I don't need any cookies thanks, got doughnuts," and he pauses "although, I do like the thin mint ones. Got any of those?"

"I'd like to talk to you," Steve opens but he's cut off by a laugh from Tony.

"Isn't that what we're doing?," Tony asks, "I was under the distinct impression that's what we're doing."

Steve doesn't comment that, in order to talk, you need to be able to get a word in edgewise and settles with, "Would you please just come down? This is serious, please, just come down."

Tony laughs and hangs up on him.

Everyone is watching him now but he gets the impression that none of them actually know who he is.

He finds the entrance to the building and picks a buzzer at random. The first person isn't home and the second person hangs up on him after he explains who he is with a, "Yeah, right, and I'm Doctor Doom." The third person is a nice elderly lady who had started to worry about Tony so she's happy enough to let him into the building even if she dosen't believe who he is.

Steve takes a few steps out onto the fire escape landing, the cold air hitting him square in the face. The view from here is spectacular and it's like all the little differences he has noticed almost fade into nothing. This is still New York despite the changes and it's still beautiful.

Tony is leaning against the railing facing away from the door, a box of doughnuts in one hand, and his helmet discarded at his feet. He doesn't even look up from his doughnuts when he hears Steve. "Really going for the cookie selling merit badge huh? Gotta love that commitment."

After a few moments Steve clears his throat. "There are more comfortable places to eat doughnuts than a fire escape. Like the place you bought them. Just a suggestion, you understand."

Tony doesn't need to turn and look at him for Steve to know he's smirking. "Please. Have you seen me? I'd get eaten alive down there."

Tony turns to face Steve and holds out the box of doughnuts to offer him one. They've got his shield on them in red, blue, and white icing. With sprinkles. "I'm fine, thank you."

Tony shrugs, hey, your loss. "If you didn't bring me thin mints, which by the way, was rude, then what do you want? As you can clearly see, I'm a busy guy." Tony takes a couple of seconds over which doughnut to take before finally picking one and taking a bite out of it.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about the Avengers."

Tony shakes his head. "Yeah, no. Not interested. My super secret boy band quota is filled for the month."

Steve crosses his arms. "If that's the case then why did you bother coming to the meeting?"

Tony smirks at him. "We've got a guy who thinks he's a Norse god, and might actually be one, which, serious universe realignment there. Not sure which is weirder." Tony shakes his head at this, "We've got a guy you won't like when he's angry, a Robin Hood wannabe, and a woman with a name that's totally not Freudian." And then he gestures at Steve, "Not to mention the overgrown boyscout. Yeah, why wouldn't I stick around?" There's a flash of amusement in Tony's eyes as he glances over the top of his sunglasses at Steve. "So why don't you scurry along and tell your troop all about it. I'm sure they'll be just devastated." This little monologue is concluded with a dismissive little hand-wave and Tony's attention drifts back to the doughnuts.

Steve counts to ten in his head and wonders if Tony can actually smile without any irony. When he does speak his voice is completely calm. "I did more during the war than rescue cats out of trees Anthony. I'm not a girl scout."

He knows Tony isn't a soldier, that much is plainly obvious, but they've both been in combat situations. They've both killed people in those situations because they had no other choice. Steve has never killed anyone if he could take any other option but he has killed. It's not something he likes to think about but it is true and he's never been one to hide away from the truth even if it makes him uncomfortable.

Neither of them are girl scouts and his shield is a plastic toy and that somehow seems so wrong. He's reminded of the movie, and the one scene that stuck with him: The Doctor had asked if he'd wanted to kill Nazis, and he'd said no, he wanted to kill Hitler.

Steve had never wanted to kill anyone.

It's quiet because neither of them has said anything and Steve turns a little away to look out over the city. Tony snorts. "First, are you kidding me with the Anthony thing? And second, Please, don't remind me. I know. The big all American hero won the war single handed and punched out the Red Skull and Hitler all in the same day."

This is almost enough to make Steve recoil because he can't decide if Tony is being facetious or whether people actually think that's true, whether people actually think the movies are true, that he did it all himself and the people that fought, that died, alongside him mean absolutely nothing.

He turns back to Tony who is watching him over the top of his sunglasses, very focused, and Steve wonders if he was better off with Tony only paying half attention. His full concentration is slightly disconcerting, especially since the box of doughnuts he'd been fixated on have been dumped on the floor beside his helmet.

"Have I done something to offend you?" Steve tries because he has, for now, just decided to assume Tony is just being sarcastic.

"Right," Tony chips in, his voice flat. "Yeah, _that's_ why you're here. You're gonna tell me it's time for mommy and daddy to make up for the sake of the kids. Well, I'm sorry, but I just can't live like this anymore."

Steve twitches his hands because the muscles are tensing up and takes a step forward. "Would it kill you to be serious for just one second?"

This makes Tony laugh. "When I decided to be a superhero I never once thought I'd get punched out by Captain America. If you're gonna take a swing at me try and avoid the face, yeah?"

At this point, the absurdity of the whole situation hits Steve square in the face and he can't help but smile. "I'm not going to punch you. I'd probably break my hand." He gestures at the Iron Man armor.

Tony shakes his head, but there's a fleeting smile on his face that Steve could almost swear was genuine. "If your middle name isn't Buzzkill, it should be because you ruin everything. That was going to be my party story for years. Guess what guys? I got punched in the face by Captain America and it was awesome." Tony takes off his sunglasses and it's the first time during the whole conversation that he's been able to look Tony square in the eyes. "Look, okay, no. You didn't hurt my oh-so-fragile feelings. I just don't play well with others. This whole thing? It's a bust."

Steve frowns. "It was my understanding that you where the financial backer for the Avengers Initiative."

He remembers something Clint once said to him: "Iron Man, we need. Stark? He's a liability." At first, Steve had secretly agreed with him. Then he'd done a little research into his new teammates. Iron Man was a civilian, yes, but he could handle himself. The news reports made that clear. as did his success rate. But then the same news reports led Steve to wonder if Tony could look after himself, and whether the fact that Tony couldn't sometimes, put them all in danger. Despite that, Steve can't help but think that they need him. Even without Tony's money they still need him.

Because of what he means to the public. Because of what he's trying to do. Because, and he does need to remind himself of this sometimes, despite appearances, Tony Stark is a decent person underneath it all and he shouldn't believe everything he sees on screen.

"Oh, yeah, you've got me, Cap." Tony answers, "Secretly, I'm a patriot - Promise not to tell?"

Steve thinks that the fact Tony's a patriot isn't exactly secret considering how much of the country he's defended but Steve keeps that thought firmly to himself. He assumes it's not something Tony would be particularly happy with.

He remembers what Sharon said to him about the film. She'd said that it didn't matter what people thought of him, and that had been the real point. What mattered was what he is.

Tony walks over to him and slumps against the railing, Steve facing forwards and Tony facing towards the door. Neither of them have anything to say so they stand in silence for a few moments before Tony speaks. "Give me one good reason I should give the Avengers another shot." And Tony pauses for a beat, "Seriously, what is with that name. I should refuse to play with you guys simply because the name sucks so much. I get that we're meant to be avenging something but what, exactly, are we avenging? That's all I want to know."

Steve considers this all for a second and, then, smiles. He looks over at Tony and says "They might make a film about us?" It's not an answer he would normally have given but it might appeal to Tony better than a lecture on the morality of being a superhero.

Tony puts his sunglasses back on, but he's smiling. "Eh, I've already got a cartoon."

There's a pause. "Really"?

"It's called 'Invincible Iron Man.' Used to be 'Incredible' but they changed it."

Steve lets this all sink in before nodding slowly. "They like the assonance, I'm guessing."

Tony nods back. "Yeah, I guess they do."

Steve moves himself from the railing and starts heading for the door. About half way across the landing he stops and turns to look at Tony. "How about saving the world?"

This gets a moment of consideration and then a smirk and a mock salute. "Sir, yes, sir."

Steve salutes back and his is a little more real. "That won't last."

He gets a smile. "Enjoy the moment."

**Author's Note:**

> With all due love and thanks to shinodabear who has put up with me rambling at her about Marvel for way too long now. I would promise to shut up but we both now that's not happening <3 The final lines of dialogue are borrowed from Captain America: Man Out of Time by Mark Waid with all due respect. Love the book it's probably my favorite Cap title. I also paraphrase a few lines from Captain America: The First Avenger, which I also adored, but I figure that probably goes without saying. I also want to say that the movie Steve talks about in this fic is NOT Captain America: The First Avenger even if I warp a couple of lines from it.


End file.
